Comac C919 development progress

Meanwhile, design and development of the Comac C919 airliner continues with a number of initial components now complete. On 28 November 2013, the Chinese company announced that Shenyang Aircraft had manufactured first engine pylon for the airliner. The pylon will be transferred to the engine manufacturer CFM International for later installation on the latter’s flying testbed for flight trials of the Leap-1C engine.

Completion of this part enables the twinjet to maintain its first-flight target of 2015. Comac has also released images showing a completed mid-fuselage section with the outer wingbox installed. Production and assembly of the fuselage section has been conducted by AVIC’s Xian Aircraft, and points to breakthroughs in indigenous manufacturing capabilities, which include manufacture and utilisation of aluminium-lithium alloy material for the fuselage skin and the use of laser-shaped parts for the centre-wing chords. Aircraft structural data has also been distributed, while parts and components manufacturing is currently moving at a good pace across five different Chinese cities.